As the coaching profession celebrates its global impact, leading provider Barefoot Coaching comments on sector growth.
Barefoot Coaching, provides coaching and coach training for organisations and individuals. The company was founded by CEO Kim Morgan 25 years ago and has since established its bespoke training headquarters. Barefoot Coaching has clients across the UK and the globe. It has more than 5,000 successful graduates of its programmes now sharing Barefoot Coaching knowledge and practices in society and workplaces – and a team of 25 expert accredited course tutors.
A 2023 survey conducted by The International Coaching Federation shows that the coaching industry continues to grow at pace, but that professional training and accreditation is essential. Barefoot Coaching’s Managing Director Andy Chandler PCC, comments. (On the International Coaching Federation’s (ICF) Global Coaching Study 2023).
Andy comments “The big story is one of growth, growth and more growth. The estimated annual revenue from coaching is now worth $4.6 billion USD (£3.6 billion) – an increase of 60 per cent since 2019. This is also reflected in the increase in coach practitioners, a staggering 54 per cent increase on 2019. There are a reported 1.7 million coaches on LinkedIn alone, so here lies the first challenge for the industry. Coaching is unregulated, anyone can call themselves a coach, and many of them do.”
Barefoot Coaching has been at the forefront of UK coaching and coach training pioneering the development of International Coach Federation and University approved coach education in the UK.
He continued “Whilst it’s great to see that 85 per cent of coach practitioners who completed the survey hold a certification/credential from a coaching organisation. Even better, there has been a marked increase in the number of coaches holding a credential/certification since the last survey.
“But our challenge as an industry is the proliferation of untrained, unskilled, inexperienced life-coaches. Our focus has always been that professional training accreditation really matters. Barefoot Coaching was one of the first organisations to offer its students the opportunity to gain a Postgraduate Certificate from the University of Chester and one of the first to run a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching Supervision for coaches.
He added: “This growth in demand is something we have absolutely seen coming through strongly. This global expansion is reflected in our increasing number of delegates, interest in courses that we are delivering, and coaches trained, but it is vital that we push for far greater professionalism by ensuring all coaches have a professional qualification.”
The survey also reported that two-thirds of coaches with less than a year of experience are actively coaching paying clients. He added “We’ve been training people to become coaches and use coaching skills for over 25 years. We are strong advocates for the power of coaching to affect the lives of many and remain committed to seeing further growth go hand in hand with the highest professional standards of teaching and coaching.”
As well as being ICF accredited, Barefoot Coaching also offers delegates the opportunity to acquire a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching with the University of Chester, and the opportunity to progress their academic studies to a full Masters in Coaching.
